Community education and health promotion activities of naturopathic practitioners: results of an international cross-sectional survey

BACKGROUND: Health promotion and patient education are crucial to improved population health and are also among the core principles that define naturopathy. Yet, the activities of naturopathic practitioners (NPs) with regards to health promotion and community education have not been widely studied. METHODS: A cross-sectional online survey of an international convenience sample of NPs was conducted through disseminating a 15-item questionnaire prepared in five languages. Correlates of most frequently mentioned NP activities were studied. RESULTS: The survey was completed by 813 NPs representing all world regions. Almost all participants (98%) reported at least one health promotion activity. Most reported were information sheets and handouts (92.7%) or social and professional network communications (91.8%) and information talks presented to community members (84.9%). The majority of NPs (79.5%) indicated that the ‘health issues individuals in NPs’ community have said they need help with’ were a ‘very important’ consideration when they designed health promotion activities. NP characteristics associated with the likelihood of engaging in specific health promotion activities varied between activities but include gender, time since first qualification, factors considered to identify need when designing an activity, and stakeholder involvement in activity design. CONCLUSIONS: Health promotion is a key activity of the global naturopathic profession. There are a wide range of patient education tools utilized by NPs. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12906-021-03467-z.